“Mr.… Mr. Huo, why are you here?” Zhang Feng. Her heart started beating furiously all of a sudden. She had a bad feeling about this.
Then, remembering that grandfather Huo was Huo Shaoheng’s grandfather, she felt that he would never allow others to torture him. So she stuttered: “Mr. Huo, what’s going on? Official is resting upstairs. If they do this, they’re not respecting the official and the Huo’s at all!”
Zhang Feng was trying very hard to think of ways to ignite Huo Shaoheng’s sympathy for his family.
She knew that for someone like him, he wealth and women wouldn’t affect him. The only thing that would would be reputation and honor.
Reputation and honor was the most important thing to for the Huo’s to him, isn’t it?
Huo Shaoheng ignored her and walked into the house. “I’m here to bring my grandfather home. Please make way.”
Zhang Feng’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She shouted: “Mr. Huo! Didn’t you see how they’re treating me?! What would the official think if he sees this? The Huo’s have such high reputations in the army; how can you allow them to humiliate me like this?!”
Huo Shaoheng turned around in one swift motion and faced Zhang Feng coldly, full of disgust in his eyes: “Senior nurse Zhang, I think you’re unclear of one thing: you’re a Zhang; not a Huo. What has it got to do with us with whatever that happens to you?”
“But I…!” Huo Shaoheng’s cold demeanor stunned Zhang Feng.
She took a step back, and looked at Huo Shaoheng with fear written all over her face. She didn’t know what to do.
Huo Shaoheng turned around and continued his way to look for his grandfather.
The couple of soldiers whom he brought along followed him closely.
“Mr. Huo! Are you really not worried? You really want me to spill the beans?” Zhang Feng shouted.
Huo Shaoheng stopped. He looked up at the ceiling and placed his hands in his pockets. Then, turning around, he said: “Just say what you want. It’s none of my business.” After that, he shrugged and told the soldiers standing beside Zhang Feng: “You can bring her away.”
Zhang Feng opened her mouth, and wanted to spill her relationship with grandfather Huo. However, she stopped. She realized the reason she was unable to reveal it!
Huo Shaoheng had already stated clearly that he wouldn’t help her. If she spilled the beans on grandfather Huo and herself, the least would be the embarrassment to the Huo’s. The one who would be affected the most, would be none other than grandfather Huo!
The chances of him losing his rank in the army was very high…
Without grandfather Huo’s army rank, what good would it be even if she were to marry him?
Then how would this affair between grandfather Huo and herself affect Huo Shaoheng?
Most likely it wouldn’t affect a bit, and people would even sympathize with him…
Zhang Feng expression cringed, like someone was strangling her. However, she couldn’t say a word.
This feeling made her feel horrible.
Zhang Feng bit her lips, and told Zhang Baochen and Qian Shihui, who rushed out to see what had happened: “Don’t panic. Go and look for grandfather Huo right now. He will bail me out. I will be fine.”
“So talkative” a soldier frowned, and took out a roll of duct tape. “SMACK!” He stuck it onto Zhang Feng’s lips, and finally was able to shut her up. Immediately after, he took out a paper bag and covered her face. Then, she was brought out like that.
All the friends and relatives who were present looked on in shock. The house was in complete silence.
Huo Shaoheng strode in with a couple of soldiers behind him, looking at his surroundings cautiously.
The guests had no choice but to make way for him, and looked at him with fear and respect as he walked towards the stairs.
Panting, Zhang Baochen ran in and shouted: “Mr. Huo! Mr. Huo!”
The family and friends in the house snapped back to reality, and left the unit immediately.
Huo Shaoheng, however, did not stop. He continued to level two, before turning to look at Zhang Baochen, who was held back by the soldiers. “Where’s my grandfather?”
“He… He’s… There…” Zhang Baochen had many questions, but when faced with Huo Shaoheng, he was just filled with fear and shrank immediately. Pointing at the door towards the end of level 2, he said shakily: “There.”
Huo Shaoheng brought his soldiers along with him and proceeded to the door.
He knocked, but no one responded.
“Official, please let us in.” One of the soldiers stepped forward and attempted to turn the door handle.
The door opened immediately.
Huo Shaoheng entered the room first, and told the soldier: “Wait here. Make sure no one comes in.”
“Yes, sir!” The soldiers stood at attention with their guns outside the room.
Zhang Baochen was scared stiff. He didn’t dare to even breathe properly. Trembling with fear, he went back downstairs.
Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie stood beside Qian Shihui, each of them as white as sheet. Upon seeing Zhang Baochen, they asked eagerly: “What happened? Did you ask Mr. Huo?”
Zhang Baochen was on the brink of tears. Shaking his head, he continued: “Mr. Huo went to see father.”
In the bedroom on level 2, Huo Shaoheng put his a hand in his pocket, and toyed a cold coin with another. He stood in front of grandfather Huo’s bed.
Grandfather Huo had his eyes closed. Breathing steadily, he was fast asleep.
Huo Shaoheng waited for a while. Seeing that grandfather Huo was still sound asleep, he did not wake him up, but walked around the room.
The heater was turned on nicely. Huo Shaoheng was inside for only a while, and he could already feel beads of perspiration forming on his back.
He looked at grandfather Huo who was tucked in bed with a down feather quilt, and felt the pre-set temperature in the room and shook his head exasperatedly. Finally, he pulled the curtains open and went to the balcony.
On the first day of the New Year in Di Capital, it was freezing to the bone. Each breath of air felt like it would be turned to ice immediately.
Huo Shaoheng took a cigarette from his pocket, and lighted it up.
Taking a deep puff, he thought:
It had been a busy day today.
First, he brought Gu Nianzhi to General Ji’s and Speaker Long’s for Lunar New Year visiting and settled the arrest and account freezing warrants. Next, he sent Gu Nianzhi back home. Finally, he gathered grandfather Huo’s soldiers and investigation officers for the arrest in the Zhang’s.
Everything had been going smoothly, and went almost according to plan.
Huo Shaoheng smoked for about 30 minutes on the balcony, and heard movements in the room.
He put out the remaining cigarette, and entered the room again from the balcony.
Grandfather Huo propped himself up on the bed, and squinted: “Shaoheng? Why are you here?”
He was feeling happy in his heart, even though what he showed was anger and shock.
After leaving home once, Shaoheng had finally given in…
Looks like he’s still a filial grandchild after all.
Putting on a coat, he smiled as he sat up. “Sit. Have you eaten?”
Huo Shaoheng only had breakfast. After which, he was packed with events till now and did not have anything to eat.
However, he did not tell grandfather Huo the truth. Here merely nodded, and replied: “Yes I have.”
Looking at grandfather Huo, he continued: “Grandfather, let’s go home. This place can’t be stayed in for long.”
“Why can’t it be stayed in?” grandfather Huo looked at him intimidatingly. “This is Little Zhang’s home. I can stay however long I wish to.”
“Is it, now?” Huo Shaoheng rubbed his fingers, and sat down on the sofa by grandfather Huo’s bed. “This place will be seized by the court very soon, how will you continue to stay? Are you going to tell the investigation team that you were the one who bought this house for senior nurse Zhang?”
“Absurd!” grandfather Huo’s face darkened. “Everything’s fine, why would the court seize the property? Did she not pay the loan?” He looked at Huo Shaoheng, and struggled internally with himself, before speaking again, this time with a softer voice: “…Shaoheng, grandpa knows that you were very close to your grandmother, but grandpa loves you too! You really bear to see grandpa being alone throughout my old age? Even though grandpa is old, I wish for someone to accompany me too…”
“I did not say that I didn’t allow grandpa to remarry,” Huo Shaoheng crossed his legs, and spread his arms on the sofa. He looked casual and suave. “But not Zhang Feng.”
“Why not?”
“She’s too greedy.” He looked around the room. “Grandpa, you knew about it all along, don’t you? Zhang Feng couldn’t have bought so many properties in Di Capital based on her own financial capabilities? Don’t even talk about loans – I know she didn’t even take up one. She paid for all of them up front in cash.”
Grandfather Huo remained silent for a long while, before mumbling: “… All these, we both know. Everyone came here like that, didn’t they? I couldn’t give her an official title, it’s okay to make up to her in other aspects, isn’t it?”
Huo Shaoheng placed his foot down and sat up straight. All of a sudden, he looked stern. “Grandpa, do you know what Zhang Feng had been doing exactly? If you said that you allowed it to happen, are you prepared to bear the consequences with her?”